Rewritten
by PathosPenmaster
Summary: When the new generation of Titans have been thrust seventeen years into the past, the four teens try to survive without altering the future and jeopardizing life as they know it. However, an unknown enemy attempts to coerce them into bringing forth his own vision of the future - where the Titans are no more. BBRae,RobStar,CyBee pairings.
1. Chapter 1

Just a brief A/N from me. I'm a former Fanfiction veteran, though I have decided to use a new account as a clean slate. This story is pretty much being written due to the R34 rule that "If you do not find what you are seeing, make it." (However this is not R34, so don't worry.) If this ends up like the others with a similar plot, I apologize, as I simply had not found them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, or any other DC related content.

**Chapter One**

Time has a way of moving ever onward, unceasing in its influence on the inhabitants of the universe. As it moves onward, so too must those caught in its waves and currents, unable to escape. Just as sorrow must end, joy shall also crumble to the will of Time.

Seventeen years.

That was how long the Titans had been disbanded. Other heroes had risen and fallen like the original crew, ending both happily and tragically. The next generation had recently taken the wheel, attempting to fill the footfalls left behind by their parents. Although nobody knew that this new group, being hailed modestly as The Jump City Heroes, were of any relation to the original Titans, each and every member felt their parents' shadows' overwhelming stature.

Their parents, however, could not be more proud of them. They sat together, watching as their children battled the villain on the television screen. Despite no longer being a team, they had remained lifelong friends, and some, lifelong partners. Cyborg and Bee sat in cream colored armchairs, a young girl with eyes glued to the screen at their feet. Raven and Beastboy were on the couch, a blond haired toddler trying to free himself from his mother's grip. Robin and Starfire, whose home they gathered in, beamed proudly over mugs of coffee.

"Oh Yeah! Did you see that punch Des did?" Cyborg shouted as the teen hero clad in a purple spandex suit with a large yellow lightning bolt reaching from his left shoulder to the right side of his belt smashed his fist into the bridge of the villain's stony nose. The twelve year old pumped her own fist as vigorously as her father, crying out "Booyah!"

A dark haired girl dressed in a purple belly shirt and sleek black pants shouted commands, violet bolts pounding down on the boulder-like villain. Robin gave out an energetic, "That's my girl."

The camera panned out, and briefly two cloaked figures were seen in the air, one maroon and the other a foggy gray. Just as the two were about to attack, the news feed cut out and went into standby. Beastboy groaned, slumping backwards, "That's no fair! My kids never get time in the spotlight!" The boy beside him babbled loudly, as if joining his father's raucous. Raven shot him an annoyed look, but said nothing.

"It's alright, Gar, there'll be more battles," Bee told him, watching Cyborg and her daughter high-five. Beastboy hadn't heard her as his attention had turned to his son.

Robin flicked off the television, checking his watch. "The fight looked almost over, they should be home about eight."

"Unless they go out and get pizza," the girl, named Haley, pouted, feeling left out. She had been begging to join the team, but was considered too young by both the teens and the parents.

"They better not," Robin countered. "Tomorrow's a school day."

"Speaking of, it's close to bed time for ya," Cyborg said to Haley.

"Aww, but Dad," she protested, though Cyborg and Bee had already stood up.

"It was nice hanging out," Bee addressed the group.

Cyborg gathered up a large gray coat and approached the front door, Haley following obediently. He slid a pair of rings onto his fingers and his metallic parts faded into the illusion that was Victor Stone."See y'all later."

Raven and Beast boy stood up as well, gathering their own coats and dressing the young toddler in warm clothing. Raven said, "We should get going too," and took the child in her arms once her own holo-ring was on. Beastboy grabbed the door and becoming a blonde middle-aged man again.

"Bye guys," he grinned, stepping out the door with his wife, into the night and back into his normal life.

:::

"Okay team, time for the final blow!" Nightstar hollered, zooming in to land a hard punch to the gollum-like villain known as Landslider. The villain turned towards her, trying to break from his dark aura straight jacket. The cloaked figures, Albatross and Ibis, let go with their powers as soon as their leader stuck. Powerhouse, the electric-themed hero, leaped into the air and hammered down onto Landslider's chest with both fists, sparks flying as the blow formed a crater in the road.

"Awyeah," Powerhouse crowed, stepping back to admire the knocked out villain. The other three heroes landed beside him as a troop of policemen came to haul the massive statue into an armored van. He high-fived Nightstar and Ibis and held out the offer to Albatross, but the brooding boy ignored him, stalking h his gray cloak swishing in annoyance.

"What's wrong with him now?" Nightstar groaned, looking to Ibis. The small red haired girl shrugged and followed her brother.

Ibis caught up to him, her hood falling back as she followed the taller, older boy. He'd been reserved for as long as she could remember, though his anger and solitude had grown tenfold recently. "Soren, what's wrong?"

"Don't use our real names around here, moron," he hissed, though she figured it was mostly because he had come to dislike his name.

"Fine, Albatross, what's gotten into you?" she found it even harder to keep up. Overhead she saw Nightstar flying, keeping only a few yards ahead as she knew what was coming next. Powerhouse rode away on a skateboard in the opposite direction.

"Nothing, leave me alone," he groaned, suddenly phasing home. She sighed, deciding to follow Nightstar.

"Hey Mari, wait up!" she called, rising into the air. Jump City shrank below her, the wind feeling cold against her porcelain skin.

Nightstar slowed for the younger girl, noting the worried look on her face. "Still ain't talking?" Ibis shook her head. "I've never seen him so touchy."

"If he fails his English test tomorrow, he'll be even more testy," she replied. "His grades have been slipping and he doesn't leave his room anymore."

"Maybe that's frustrating him, he's always gotten straight A's," Nightstar mused, watching the streets go by beneath her.

"No, he can pass if he really wants to, but it's like he just doesn't try. We heard Mom and Dad fighting a few weeks ago about it," Ibis's purple eyes cast downward, unseeing as she remembered that night when he had offered to let her and Connor stay in his room so as not to hear them argue.

"All parents fight, Ember," Nightstar shrugged. "You should tell him not to worry about it."

"That's just the thing, he snaps at me whenever I try to bring it up."

"He'll come around. He's a lot more sensitive to emotions than you are, so maybe you should try to help him by helping yourself feel better," the older girl suggested, flying a little closer. "And if you're really feeling worried, talk to you mother. Of all people she'd know what to do."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ibis smiled softly, noticing their humble little street just ahead. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mari."

"Sure thing, Em. And good luck with your brother," she nodded to her team-mate and veered to the right, towards the upper side of town where her normal teenage life awaited.

:::

Soren tugged at his purple hair in frustration. The world around him crumbled, and he felt the weight of loneliness crystallize deep within his heart. Darkness hugged him tightly as he huddled in the corner of his room, his cloak wrapping him in what little comfort he had left. Nobody understood the agony he had been feeling, nobody had seen it build up and break him from the inside out.

He felt the bruise on his arm and winced. Was that from Landslider, or those seniors who had pinned him to the ground and let loose their anger upon him? What was worse was that he knew he could not fight back against the latter, that his powers and secret identity prevented any retaliation. Now he felt too shattered and weak to even will himself to stand against them.

And then his mind settled on a memory more painful than his beating.

_Soren had felt the wave of anger from his parents bedroom, and knew that they were arguing again. It had probably started over something stupid, but he could feel that it was fueled from exhaustion and over-broiled emotions that had __nestled__ inside them far too long. From Ember's room emerged fright and sadness, as she was the one unfortunate enough to be able to hear them. It was never that coherent, but the sharp tones and raised snippets would come across to her once in awhile. Connor was too young to understand, but the infantile emotions of fear and confusion budded in his heart._

_ The older boy crept quietly through the living room and down the short hallway leading to the rest of the rooms. He picked up Connor first, hushing the little boy and cradling him close. In his free hand he gathered the child's cup of milk and favorite blanket, the child already starting to close his eyes as Soren's breathing calmed him.__ As he felt his way towards Ember's room, he caught __a __snippet of the debate from the other room._

_ "I know his grades are slipping!" That was his father, they were fighting about him again. "He's been busy saving the city!"_

_ "He should be more focused on school than the city. You remember how hard it was to set up our identities as citizens, to make enough money to survive without our diplomas," his mother was the one who had insisted that he and Ember stay in school, while his father considered it trivial._

_ "We could have gotten them. A G.E.D. at the least," his father countered._

_ "How?" his mother barked. "We were too busy trying to get gather a savings before Soren was born! __We had __no legitimate credit, nobody would hire us, remember? We had to go crawling to Richard __for money just __so we could at least afford diapers!"_

_ Soren ducked his head into Embers room, seeing her curled up on her bed with a pillow pressed tightly to her ears. She looked up at him when he came in. "C'mon," he grunted, leading the way to his room. He heard the words that constantly echoed in his ears since that day:_

_ "Do you think I wanted to get pregnant at seventeen?"_

It was something that had haunted him his entire life. He was the reason his family fought, why they could never reach for their desires, and it stabbed him with each breath he believed he didn't deserve. He was never supposed to be born, of that he was certain. He was an accident, something that his parents loved but were better without.

The thoughts of ceasing those unearned gasps of air had tempted him relentlessly, though he had refused to do so. It came to him once again as he fought the urge to break down again.

A knock on his door jarred him. "Sorren, you alright?" his mother inquired from the other side of the door. He couldn't answer, lest his voice broke and caused her more pain and worry than she already felt, the emotions which he had caused her wafting through to him and feeding his guilt. "Sorren?" she called again, and after a few moments she simply turned away, leaving him alone as he desired, her concern growing.

:::

Desmond Stone slid into his seat just as the bell rang, pulling out his touch-pad which stored every student's required materials in order to save space. He opened up his homework file and sent it to the teacher, looking around. Mari whisked by, sitting beside him, a cinnamon scent following her. She sighed as she pulled out her own touch-pad, keeping her head down. Des flashed her a grin, but it fell quickly when he saw how strained she seemed.

"Yo, Mari, what's up?" he asked, noting that their teacher hadn't come yet.

"It's nothing," she shook her head, "Just tired from yesterday. I was up 'til eleven studying for that Chemistry test today."

"Aw man, I forgot about that!" he groaned. "I'm so gonna fail."

"You? C'mon, you're a whiz at that stuff. Besides, the chapter was only on the Periodic Table," she snorted at the last part.

"Oh yeah," he rubbed the back of his shaved head, opening up the file for English 10. "You find out what's up with Soren?"

"Nope," she shrugged as the teacher came in and greeted the class.

"The Buckley gang's been pickin' on him recently," he whispered, watching the visual demonstration on his touch-pad.

"What? Why haven't you stopped them?" she hissed back.

"Are you kidding?" he retorted, "They're seniors! I can't go up against them, and you can't either."

"Then why doesn't he stand up, then?" she muttered angrily.

"I don't know, probably the same reason we can't, our p-"

"Mr. Stone and Miss Grayson, perhaps you would like me to pause the lesson until you finish your conversation, hm?" the older man at the front announced sarcastically.

Desmond jumped and the two teens said in unison, "No, Mr. Jacobs."

"Very well, if you skip to 10:43 you'll see the tools found at the architectural dig dating roughly two-hundred thousand years ago..."

:::

The wall collided roughly with his back, the fists on his chest aggravating the bruises that still covered his body. He heard the crack as his head hit the concrete floor and feet crushed and battered his body. It was the Buckley gang again, lead by the sleazeball Buckley Rogers, Football Captain. The other boys were his team lackeys, other seniors glorified for having kept the winning streak going for Jump High. The school hadn't lost a single game for seventeen years.

Soren heard somebody cry out, and realized it was himself. Somebody had dumped his backpack on top of him and a heavy leather-bound book fell into his face. Another kid picked it up and punted it across the courtyard, signaling the end of their onslaught. They snickered as they left him sniveling in the dust, dirt ground into his face.

He focused on calming down, his powers threatening to burst forth and take him back to where he felt safe. If he gave in, he'd lose everything his family had fought to give him – a normal identity. Soren wiped the snot and tears from his pale face, and gathered his belongings to stuff back into his bag. People passed by and ignored him, carrying on as if he didn't exist. He lifted the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, and walked into the throng of passing people, pretending to be what he was not: normal.

Something inside him had been pushed over the edge, and it became clear what he needed to do. He was done being a burden to everybody, of holding the world on his shoulders. He took one last look at the faces of his peers as the answer enveloped him.

He was ready.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Something wasn't right, and he could see it in her face. She held Connor close, the young boy finally sitting calmly on her lap. It had to be hard starting over when Soren and Ember were almost grown. He knew that the older children had been much tamer than the little clone of Garfield, which had helped her with rearing them. There was hope in her when they were young, too. She had once thought that they could eventually work up to a decent wage, but the years had worn onward and the money ever thinner. Now it was as if she waited a breath of air rather than an escape from the rough currents she had been trapped in. It worried him to see her this way, to know there wasn't anything he could do because it wasn't his business. If only she or Garfield would just ask him, he'd find a way to help them.

Finally, she mustered the courage to talk about it. "I don't know what to do, Rich."

"About what?" he gazed at her calmly, feeling the wallet in the seat of his jeans. He didn't want to scare her off by being to direct about it just yet.

"It's Soren. I got a call earlier this morning from his teacher, saying that he's failing English. His grades have fallen a lot since the beginning of the year, and he's been late to a lot of his classes. I'm worried about him," Rachel caved in, her eyes watching the little boy on her lap.

Richard sat back, feeling slightly out of his element on the matter. "He's a teenager, Rae. I'm sure he's just hitting a rebellious stage."

"No," she shook her head. "It's not like that. There's this... sadness that comes from him, all the time. He won't come talk to me about it, either. I feel like I can't reach him or connect with him like I used to."

"He's just going through a rough patch. But if you're concerned, you should come hiking with Kori and I this weekend. Getting him away for awhile might get him to open up," he offered.

"No, Garfield and I couldn't impose," she shook her head, and Connor reached up to pat her cheek before trying to escape her grasp. She readjusted him on her lap, knowing he'd get into trouble once he was set free.

"Let him run," Richard waved his hand nonchalantly. She set the boy down and he began to explore as she watched him closely. "And as for the trip, don't worry about it. Just bring stuff for Connor, and Kori and I will handle the rest."

"Richard, I-"

"I said not to worry about it. It's a family trip, and you're family, aren't you? This isn't just to help Soren, you and Garfield need a break, too. We can get Vic and Karen to come too," he added. "It'll be like old times."

"But what about the city?" she protested.

"It'll be alright for one weekend. We can head out to Whitewater, just outside the city. The trails are wide enough and smooth enough for a stroller," he added, "I insist Rachel. It'll be good for all of us."

She nodded, "I'll talk to Gar about it tonight."

:::

Although it wasn't the best job when it came down to his paycheck, Garfield felt that he was in the perfect profession for a man of his stature. He sat in the rec room with a small group of employees, all with varying skills to benefit the zoo. Off in the corner were Jacob and Marie, the specialists in taming. By the lockers was Benny, who fed the animals every morning and every evening like clockwork. Maddie cleaned the cages and Gabriela was the veterinarian. Meanwhile, Garfield was the entertainer. He told people time and time again about the wonders of the animals, and wrote all of the info cards when new breeds came in, though that was only once in a great while. Another group of visitors would be there in ten minutes and he'd put on a goofy grin and tell them once again about the ways of the beasts around him.

But he didn't feel like smiling today. There was a schism in the family, and he felt himself at fault. He understood exactly what Rachel had meant when it came to the children, and he knew that she was often right in the matter, just as she was in this case. She didn't want them to be heroes anymore, both for their safety and their educational well-being. However, he was torn between the need to be a parent, and his understanding of a hero's struggles. He wanted his children to be well educated and to have a better future than the one he'd set for himself, but Garfield knew that they had the promise for a different future. They were heroes, and to stop them from choosing that lifestyle was wrong.

He guessed Rachel knew that too. They had a rule, which to that day had never been broken: neither was to go to bed angry after an argument. Because of that rule, their true feelings on the matter would emerge and they wouldn't be angry anymore. Rachel was never mad about Soren's grades, she was worried about his sudden change in nature and the bruises he tried to hide, and now so was Garfield.

Garfield had always known that his children carried every essence of their mother in them, especially Soren. When the boy had grown more reclusive in the past few weeks, he had assumed it was because of his introverted nature. It had never occurred to him that his son was ever upset, and it killed him to think that he hadn't noticed. Soren had always been a quiet child, and though the two of them could have fun and keep each other company, there was a distance between them that they hadn't discovered how to fill. Maybe that was what was wrong, he was a lousy father.

His mind was fixed on trying to solve the problem that plagued his family, and he had found no answers. A cluster of voices alerted him that his shift had arrived. He ran his fingers through his thinning hair and sighed heavily, once more painting a smile onto his face and started the show.

:::

Titans tower had lost much of its glamor to dust and abandon over the years, the air stale and the walls rusted over from nearly two decades of hiatus. It had been kept in case the Titans were to ever return, though of course they never did, and it became a forgotten landmark of the past and a reminder of what had once been.

Albatross took in the absence of emotion warily. Years of loneliness had left the Tower without any trace of energy, and all he could sense was himself. It was more unsettling than he realized, to be left with only his own feelings within him. Underneath the silence was an aura that was in his very blood and being that tingled with each step. It was because of this place that he existed, and now it would be where he ceased to.

Despite the tower's apparent disrepair, Albatross knew for a fact that all of its defense systems worked perfectly - except for the ones he'd shut down already. He moved like a ghost through the halls, carefully disarming the alarms, and reached his destination without incident.

However, when he began working at the seam of the doors, his communicator buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket, the device a modified touch-phone for secrecy. As well as still being able to function like one, a specialized app allowed it to alert him when the city was in danger. The app automatically opened, showing a black screen with the word "Trouble" displayed in the center. He tapped it to bring up a map where a red dot blinked above Titans Tower, indicating that was the source of the "trouble."

He cursed, but threw the device back into his pocket. It didn't matter anymore if they knew or not, there was no time to stop him. He pried open the doors to the darkened room and stepped inside.

:::

Ember groaned as her communicator went off in the middle of the night. The gloom of the screen splashed into her eyes and she debated simply rolling over and ignoring it. However, Mari's wrath wasn't worth a few extra hours of sleep, so she got up and threw on her black leotard and knee-length skirt, draping her cloak about her shoulders. Glancing at the map on her communicator, Ibis stepped out into the hall and moved silently to the other side of the house.

She rapped on her brother's door softly and whispered, "Soren, c'mon, hurry up!" Not waiting for him to emerge, she slipped out the back door and took off into the night, waiting to meet up with her team. Nightstar and Powerhouse found her at the shores of the ocean, the Tower looming before them.

"Where's Soren?" Nightstar asked, slightly impatient.

"Must've decided to sleep instead," Ibis shrugged. "We going in, or not?"

"Remind me to kill him when this is over," Nightstar growled, grabbing Powerhouse's arms and heading across the water.

"Who knows, maybe he's the smart one," Powerhouse yawned, having only gone to sleep an hour ago. "It's not like there's anything in that place."

"Except for, oh, you know, the weapons showcase," Nightstar replied sarcastically.

"That's still in there? Why?" he clucked, looking up at her.

"Because it's the most secure place in Jump City," Ibis explained. "The Tower was designed to detect even the smallest threat, and it still works."

"Which means we need to be careful, or the Tower could think we're the threat," Nightstar advised, landing on the roof. She let go of Powerhouse and kicked open the decaying door leading downward.

"So much for careful," Powerhouse murmured, following. Ibis hovered just behind him, her face illuminated by the lilac orb Nightstar used as a light source. It seemed strange that they hadn't tripped a single wire, and when Powerhouse bent down to check one of the barely visible laser systems, he murmured, "It's dead."

"Well, they're even older than Soren, so it's no wonder," Ibis sighed, going past them.

"Careful, the ones up here may be gone, but one of 'em had to set off the alarm," Powerhouse stood up, linking his communicator to the Tower's mainframe. Many of the areas were dark, leading in a line towards the center. "Somebody's turned 'em off. Whoever it is is already in the weapons room, so let's go."

The girls nodded and hurried down the steps into the ruins of the halls. They followed Powerhouse's directions and soon found the room filled with glass cases. Nightstar raised her hand to illuminate the room as best as she could, but the gloom was thick and very little could be seen. Powerhouse tapped his specialized gauntlets together and sparks buzzed brightly, briefly revealing a shadowed figure who slid further into the darkness.

"Please tell me that wasn't a ghost," he groaned, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"C'mon you big baby," Nightstar teased, raising herself into the air. "Show yourself!"

A pedestal cloaked in dark energy cut through the darkness and slammed into her, pinning her to the ground. She thrust it to the side angrily. "That wasn't funny, Ibis."

"Wasn't me," the other girl shrugged, assuming it was her brother. "Okay, Soren, you got us. Come on out now."

Another pedestal came at them and Powerhouse smashed it with his fist. "Ghost or no ghost, you're going to pay!" He rushed forward and saw the cloaked figure, swinging with all of his might. The figure dodged easily and moved out of sight. Powerhouse followed, but lost him quickly. "Where'd he go?"

The figure dropped from the ceiling and kicked him, fleeing to the back left corner. Nightstar tossed a set of starbolts at him, accidentally shattering some of the glass containers. The figure flicked his hand and a wave of dark energy whisked down the aisle, slamming into Nightstar. Ibis returned the favor, and the villain smashed into opposite wall, causing more glass to break.

"Soren?" Ibis whispered, unable to process what was happening. Her brother snarled and pushed her back with his magic, darting forward and grabbing a device the size of his hand. Powerhouse tried to hit him, but the younger boy was too slow, and Albatross countered with a kick to his opponent's midsection. The hero smashed into the girls, causing them all to be tangled just long enough for Albatross to activate the artifact.

A portal opened up, swirling in a spectrum of black and white, tearing a void into the past. He leaped into it, watching as time ticked by instantly. He glanced back, feeling ashamed at how he had treated his friends. It didn't matter, though, they'd never remember he'd done it because they'd never remember him. He watched the portal shrink with satisfaction, but just as it was about to seal shut, the three stubborn heroes dove in, pursuing him.

He picked up the pace, but Ibis and Nightstar, who carried Powerhouse, soon closed the gap between them. Ibis called out, and he cringed at the guilt he felt when she said, "Soren! Why are you doing this?"

He ignored her and tried to fly faster, he only had one year left before he was where he needed to -

He grunted as somebody grappled him and caused him to tumble downward. They wrestled with each other while they fell, and Albatross felt the vortex regulator slip from his hands. He cried out and tried to go after it, but he was too entangled to do so, and they were thrust out of the portal and onto hard pavement. The two figures rolled into a heap, Soren holding onto his attacker tightly to make sure her her head didn't slam into anything. Nightstar and Powerhouse were spat out moments later, skidding to a stop beside him.

Albatross stood warily, helping his sister up. The others rose gingerly, glancing around. Everyone's eyes turned to Albatross, filled with concern and accusation. "Soren," Ibis whispered. "What did you do?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Albatross remained silent, unsure of what to say and if he should say it. How could he explain why he'd stolen the vortex regulator without any of them getting upset? How could he tell them how sick of it all he was? They wouldn't understand, they never did. Baring his teeth, he barked, "It's none of your concern."

"None of our Concern?" Nightstar shouted, her sharp tone echoing throughout the alleyway they were in, shattering the silence of the night. "You break into Titan's tower, attack us, and send us God knows where, and it's none of our concern?"

"Yep," he knew the instant he'd said it he was going to pay. Her fist connected with his cheek and he fell to the ground, his head knocking against the pavement.

"Mari, stop!" Ibis cried, stepping between her friend and her brother.

"No, I'm done listening to you stand up for him. He's done nothing but cause problems for the team," she growled.

"Don't you think I know that?" Albatross stood, glaring down at her.

"You don't act like it," Nightstar retorted.

"Guys, please," Powerhouse interjected, only to be brushed aside.

"Tell me why you brought us here, now," Nightstar ordered.

"I didn't bring you here, you followed me!"

"Then why did you come here?"

"It's none of your concern!"

"Enough!" Ibis huffed, grabbing her quarreling friends in cocoons of dark energy. "This is not the time to argue. We need to figure where we are."

"More like 'when' we are," Powerhouse muttered, picking up a newspaper from the ground. "This is dated oh-six."

"But that's -"

"Seventeen years ago," Albatross finished his sister's sentence when she let them go. He took off his cape and rolled it up, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, with a silver studded belt around his hips. Holding the cape like a coat, he began walking out into the midnight streets, trying to figure out where they were.

"Where are you going?" Nightstar hissed, following.

"Looking around. We need to find somewhere to sleep. I dropped the vortex regulator sometime in the near future, so we need to wait for it to pop out again," he secretly added, _so that you guys can go back._

"Who knows how long that'll be," Ibis moaned. "We could be stuck here for years!"

"Then we should contact our parents in the morning," Soren commanded, walking across the street into Central Park. They were on the south side, where there were tons of playground equipment scattered around.

"Are you insane? Not to sound like a TV special, but doing that could drastically alter history!"Nightstar exclaimed.

"So? We can change it for the better, then," Soren crawled into one of the toy tunnels, laying his head down as if ready to sleep. Nightstar kicked it, causing an annoyed grimace from the boy.

"How? Everything's fine the way it is," she retorted.

"For you, maybe. You're the only child of a rich family, you were born with it easy," he shrugged. "We should get some sleep, we'll need to move before eight or the police'll catch us. And you should probably find something else to wear, you'll draw attention to yourselves."

They looked down at themselves, realizing they were still in their hero attire. However, with it being too late to do anything, the children found areas to sleep in the cold open air. Ibis crawled in on the opposite side of the tunnel, laying her head near her brother's. Nightstar flew up and laid inside the enclosed jungle-gym, while Powerhouse crashed underneath it.

"Well, on the bright side, School doesn't start for seventeen years," Powerhouse chuckled, closing his eyes. The others grunted, angry and tired.

:::

She felt his hand nudge her softly, the mist and dew waking her senses to the uncomfortable world around her. Cold, Wet, and irritable, she bat the hand away and shrouded her eyes from the morning light. Soren patted her again, this time a bit harder. She groaned and rolled over, the plastic hard on her back. His fingers dug beneath her hair and gently tickled behind her ear like their mother used to. She squirmed away and opened her eyes, seeing him smile as he said softly, "C'mon Em, gotta wake up."

She gazed out the holes of the play tunnel, rubbing her eyes to shake away the sleep still settled within them. Soren crawled out and stood by Nightstar and Powerhouse, who had already put on regular clothing. When she went over to them, she wrapped her cloak around her tightly to combat the chilly air. Soren handed her a bundle of clothes that smelled like must and mothballs.

He read her like a book, and answered before she could ask, "Got 'em from a garage sale, a little bit north of here. Wasn't much out, though."

"When did you get them?" she asked.

"Just a little bit before you guys woke up," he shrugged. "Go get changed in the bathrooms. We'll grab a bite to eat when you're done."

"I'll come with you," Mari offered, despite already being dressed in a black and pink graphic T-shirt and skinny jeans. The bathroom was up the hill and around the corner of a copse of trees, out of earshot of the boys. When they were entering the building, Mari asked, "So, any idea what's going on with your brother?"

"No clue," Ember sighed, not wanting to talk about it. She entered one of the stalls and began throwing on the dark purple t-shirt and cargo pants over top of her hero clothes. They were big on her, but snug enough to stay up, so she didn't complain. She held onto her cloak like it was a coat as her brother did.

"We need to keep an eye on him. He brought us here for a reason, and I'm not about to forget that he blatantly attacked us," Mari growled, clearly hyped about the matter.

"He didn't bring _us_ here on purpose," Ember pointed out, emerging from the stall. "I'm sure he's got a good reason, too. But we need to let _him_ come to _us_ about it; otherwise we may never get an answer at all."

"I have a bad feeling about all of this," the other girl hissed quietly. "I've been wondering if Soren's – defecting."

"My brother isn't turning evil," Ember spat, exiting the building. Mari took the hint and remained silent. They walked back to the boys who had been discussing where to eat. Soren wanted somewhere with coffee, while Desmond wanted to find a hot meal. The older boy argued that he didn't have enough money for four meals, but could get four drinks.

"Then how are we supposed to eat?" Desmond grumbled, rubbing his stomach.

"We don't," the older boy scowled.

"We also need to remember that everything we do anymore has consequences," Mari stated, sitting down beside Desmond on the play equipment.

"Didn't it before? We just believe that we know how the future's supposed to be like right now," Soren retorted.

"We do know what the future's supposed to be like. We can't go around like it's our time, we need to calculate everything we do here," Mari pointed out.

"But we also need to survive. What if we died here? Think of how that would change things," Desmond replied.

"He's right," Soren nodded. "Besides, how do we know that what we do here wasn't supposed to happen in the first place? What if we don't do something we were supposed to, and change the future that way?"

"Well – it doesn't matter, we should still be careful what we do. I mean, what if we accidentally stop one of us from being born?" Mari protested, and Soren smiled darkly at that thought.

"You raise a good point," Ember interjected.

"Why don't we just settle on doing only what is necessary to survive?" Soren sighed. "We only have to wait for the vortex regulator to pop up again, and that shouldn't take too long."

"But how will we know where it'll end up? How can we be sure nobody else will find it before us?" Desmond pondered.

They all thought about it a moment. Mari was about to retort when their conversation was put to a stop by a loud commotion from across the street. Smoke and cries of surprise wafted over and the teens jumped to combat the danger. Desmond was already unzipping his gray hoodie to reveal his Powerhouse costume, and Soren had donned his smoky colored cloak. When Mari finally had time to think, she cried out, "Stop! We need to stay out of it."

The others looked at her surprised. "We need to let our parents handle it," she explained. As if on cue, Starfire, Raven, and a green pterodactyl soared overhead towards the fray. The T-car whizzed past down the road, turning a corner and zooming out of sight towards the action.

"Hey, let's follow!" Desmond called, dashing across the grass.

"Wait!" Mari huffed. "It's too dangerous!"

"Bah! When have we ever gotten the chance to see our parents in action? This is a once in a lifetime event!" Soren called, dashing after the other boy.

"Boys will be boys," Ember grinned, taking off after the two.

_Is it just me, or is Soren actually happy?_ Mari thought before following the others. "Hey, wait up!"

:::

Smoke billowed from the broken windows of the bank, bags of money hopping through the broken windows like an animated monopoly set. Various doves and rabbits scattered themselves as they fled from the scene, as objects threatened to smash them as they came to life. The sight reminded the time-traveling teens of a distorted circus, which could only have been conducted by one villain: Mumbo Jumbo.

"Whoa, I thought this guy was just some joke?" Desmond murmured when they joined the small crowd of people who had actually stuck around. The T-car was parked outside, while the Titans were inside. Since most of the fumes had wafted into the air shortly after the vault had been blown open, they had been able to enter it safely.

"Nope, he's real. Still a joke, though," Soren murmured, watching with interest.

Robin had just swung his bow-staff down towards Mumbo's head, who dodged and waved his wand, transforming the stick into a snake. When the teen wonder had collapsed with the snake coiled around his arms, a large T-rex scooped the magician off his feet and into a wall with his tail. Starfire rained star-bolts onto the man's head, causing dust to shroud him. From his spot as a bystander, Soren could see Mumbo roll away while the others assumed him in the same spot.

Mumbo tried to sneak away, but a beam of sonic energy knocked him back into the fray. Dark energy more potent than the future duo swept up the pathetic clown in a hooked claw before tossing him at the feet of a charging green ox.

"Way to go Dad," Ember whispered beside Soren, and he smiled when he saw the light in her eyes. Mumbo was tossed between the Titans like a rag-doll before he collapsed in the center of the battlefield. He thrust up his arms, ready to be cuffed, eyes pleading for mercy. Policemen surged in and arrested him, others collecting the bags of money that had collapsed in the street once Mumbo stopped feeding them magic.

"Makes you wonder why they gave it all up," Mari remarked from behind Soren. Her parents hadn't given up heroism as quickly as his parents had. In fact, they hadn't retired until she was seven.

"It was me," Soren confessed.

"Don't be like that," she scolded him softly, watching him deflate. Was his self esteem really that low?

He shrugged. "It's true. Mom got pregnant with me towards the end of May, and the team split up in June."

"But, It's May now," Desmond whispered, careful of the people around him.

"I know," Soren growled, stalking down the street. The others followed, wary of how easily he was shifting moods. Mari narrowed her eyes as she tried to piece together what that meant.

They walked in silence as Soren led them to a small coffee shop with a view of Titan's Tower from the front. They each had a small black coffee and sat outside where they were alone. Soren glanced at the small amount of change in his hands; all that was left from the usable money he'd had.

"So what now?" Ember asked, sitting beside him at the round patio table. Mari shrugged, plopping down on her right while Desmond took the remaining seat.

"We figure out what to do for food and shelter," Soren pledged glumly.

"One of us could get a job," Desmond offered.

"No, whatever job we get is destined for somebody else. We can't afford risking something that big," Mari countered.

"How? A job's a job, isn't it?" Desmond frowned.

"Suppose one of us gets a job at - - this coffee shop, for instance," Mari explained. "And say that job was supposed to go to somebody from this time period. Maybe that job was the reason he was able to keep his house, or he meets some girl he was supposed to marry. By taking that job, we take the life somebody was supposed to have."

"She's got a point," Soren said as he swallowed some of the cheap coffee.

"What about a soup kitchen?" Ember piped up.

The older children thought about it. "I suppose we can't screw up too much with that," Mari pondered.

"It's free, but we'd need to be careful or somebody might think we're runaways," Desmond nodded. "I don't wanna try to explain that one."

"I don't think we could explain it," the other boy agreed. "Worse comes to worse, we beg."

"Or both," Ember frowned.

"The final option," Soren swallowed, "is to go to our parents."

"No," Mari growled.

He glanced at her, but continued onward. "We don't have to tell them who we are. We just need to say that we need help getting back to our own time. They're the only ones who can find the vortex regulator once it pops up again, or make a new one."

"And what if they remember us in the future, which I'm sure they will, how will we explain that we time-traveled without permission?" Mari challenged, standing up and getting into his face.

"We lie. We say that somebody like Steel-Swordsman or Villainelle broke into the tower and tried to steal it. During the battle, the regulator was activated, and we got sucked into the past," Soren finished his coffee and tossed it into a nearby garbage can.

"You can't possibly think that'll work," Mari huffed.

"Sure it will, so long as we keep it as close to the original story as possible. Besides, I doubt they're going to remember," he leaned back and closed his eyes, appearing much too at ease for Mari's liking.

"Then why don't we just tell the truth? I mean, it's because of _you_ that this happened in the first place!" she exclaimed.

"Fine, if they ask us about it, we tell them the truth," he stared at her coolly with his cerulean eyes. "Otherwise we say nothing."

"Care to enlighten us on what you actually were doing?" she challenged.

"No," he smiled smugly. He enjoyed setting her off.

"God, you're insufferable," Mari muttered, slumping back down into her seat.

"So, should we put it to a vote?" Desmond ventured to ask.

"Whoever wants to stay on the streets, say 'Aye,'" Soren declared.

Only Mari responded, and she turned to the younger teens. "Oh, come on guys, really?"

"Sorry," Desmond threw his hands in front of him. "But I think Soren's right."

"Yeah, I trust him," Ember added, looking up at her brother. He smirked sadly, knowing her faith in him was misplaced.

"It's settled then, we'll contact the Titans," Soren stood, leading them towards the bay.

"Wait!" Mari called after him, "How are we going to do this? What are we going to say?"

"Just trust me," he replied. Everything was back on track.


End file.
